Cassidy looked up at her friends, absolutely befuddled. "Am I doing something wrong?"
"No," Paige said with a laugh that only a weary mother could give. "Sometimes, babies just cry."
"Sometimes?" Mia rolled her eyes. "This one never stops. It thinks she even cries in her sleep."
"At least she sleeps," Paige shot back. "I swear, it felt like Isobel and Wyatt wouldn't even nap for the first three months of their lives."
Little Ellie had been born two weeks earlier with his mother's eyes and his father's fiery temperament. To hear Mia tell it, the baby had been up every three hours around the clock ever since.
"Three months?" Mia rubbed at the dark circles beneath her eyes. "I hope I can make it that long."
"You can," Paige assured her, looking up from her sketchbook. She was sketching a plan for the addition that Kian was building on their house to accommodate a family of four. "It really does get easier."
Gail looked up from the braided rug where she was sitting cross-legged, playing with Paige's twins. "If you were strong enough to make it through labor, you'll get through a few sleepless nights."
"I don't know," Mia griped. "I'd trade Ty's truck for one good night's sleep…but right now, I'll settle for another one of those maple scones."
Cassidy chuckled over the infant’s cries as she watched her friend sleepily put out her hand and waited for someone to put another treat in it.
"You're very good with her," Paige told Cassidy as she passed the tray of pastries to Mia. "Will you and Samson be trying for one of your own soon?"
"Paige!" Gail chided.
"What?" the omega asked. It was clear from her wide-eyed look that she hadn't meant any harm.
Cassidy bit her lip. She'd been wondering if she should share her family concerns with the omegas. She didn't want to bring down the light mood of their Tuesday get-togethers.
But going by Gail's knowing look and the way she'd snapped at Paige, she already knew.
"I don't think that children are in our future," she said.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Paige looked down. "I shouldn't have assumed—"
"No, no, it's okay."
And it was.
Cassidy had never thought much about having children. She'd always assumed that it would be her academic career that would get in the way of family life, but that clearly wasn't the case.
In the past few months, Cassidy had made more progress on her research than she had in almost two years at the university. Even with all her studying and writing, she still had plenty of time to settle in with Samson and spend time with her friends. Hell, she was even teaching herself to cook from several borrowed cookbooks, and had built a desk—with only a little help from Samson—where she now liked to sit and write.
Cassidy had never realized how much of her time she'd wasted in meetings and grunt work back at the university. Not to mention all the wasted breath, defending her work to a skeptical faculty.
At least now, there was nothing in the way of her recording and sharing the truth of omega life.
The problem with her and Samson starting a family was a lot simpler.
"Samson and I have been fortunate to be so compatible," she said. "But there are certain physiological differences between beta women and omegas that can't be overcome."
"Not even though he knots you?" Mia asked.
Cassidy shook her head. "An alpha can knot his mate all day long," she started.
"Oh, we know," Paige said with a laugh.
"But he can only produce sperm when his body senses the presence of estrus hormones. And only omegas go into heat, so…"
"I understand," Gail said. "Randall and I weren't able to have children because of a childhood illness, but my life is truly full. There is room for all kinds of families here in the Boundarylands."
"We keep Auntie Gail pretty busy," Paige laughed. "And our kids can always use more aunts and uncles."
Cassidy smiled…even as little Ellie started wailing and kicking again. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear it."
A few minutes later, the alphas trooped out of the tree line. Even from this distance, Cassidy could tell that they had worked up quite a sweat out there. She could see that Samson was carrying something. When he got closer, she saw that it was a bucket full of raspberries.
"We finished cutting the canes back along the creek," he said, "but there's still more berries than we'll ever be able to eat."
As everyone sampled the berries, Ty pulled an envelope from his pocket.
"Hey, Cassidy, I almost forgot. This came for you."
Cassidy handed Ellie back to her mother before taking the letter from his hand. She flipped it over and checked the return address. It was from the university.
Shit. Even though she knew this moment was coming, she'd still been dreading it. There was something about seeing the ethics committee’s final judgment in black and white that had her stomach twisting.
Samson came to stand behind her. He cupped a supportive hand over her shoulder. "You don't have to read it, you know," he said. "You could just toss the damn thing away."
No. She couldn't. Samson had never run away from trouble, and neither would she.
Steeling her nerves, she tore the envelope open. She was surprised to see that it wasn't on ethics committee letterhead. Instead, it was from Dr. Cheung.
* * *
Dear Cassidy,
Let me begin by offering my most sincere congratulations on finding your mate. Samson has always struck me as a fine man, a pillar of the Pacific Northwest Boundaryland community. I wish the two of you many happy years together.
I am also writing to express my most sincere and heartfelt apology for the treatment you received at the hands of our colleagues. Please know that I was not apprised of the visit. When I was made aware
